What do doctors say about 'should you drink leaf juice to dissolve kidney stones'?

Specialist Doctor Dinh Tran Ngoc Mai (Department of Nutrition - Dietetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City) said that currently, many people still have the habit of using some types of leaves such as jackfruit leaves, moneywort, coriander, Vietnamese coriander... to treat kidney stones. Because according to folk experience, they have diuretic effects, dissolving kidney stones. However, before using leaves or any herbal medicine, you need to carefully consult a medical specialist.

"Because in reality, there have been many cases of unwanted complications, even life-threatening ones, due to the use of leaves and remedies of unknown origin. Most types of leaves used to treat kidney stones have diuretic effects. When overused, they will cause electrolyte disturbances, causing dehydration. The kidneys then have to work harder, leading to fatigue, thirst, and cramps, which negatively affect the muscular and cardiovascular systems," Dr. Ngoc Mai analyzed.

In addition, some types of leaves contain toxins that are harmful to the liver and kidneys, and can lead to liver and kidney failure if used for a long time in high doses. Therefore, self-treatment of kidney stones with herbal medicine and leaves at home is not recommended. Symptoms of kidney stones include lower back pain, painful urination, frequent urination, difficulty urinating, high fever, and bloody urine.

To safely remove kidney stones, you should go for a medical examination to choose the appropriate treatment regimen. In addition, to prevent kidney stones, you need to drink enough water. You should drink 2 to 3 liters of water every day, exercise regularly , limit excessive use of caffeine (concentrated in tea, coffee, chocolate...), reduce the amount of salt absorbed into the body through a bland diet, limit the use of canned foods such as bacon, sausages, ready-to-eat foods and limit the consumption of foods high in fat.

Daily diet should be varied in food groups, with enough fiber, vegetables, and fruits to help cure the disease, prevent disease progression, and reduce the risk of recurrence later.

Many people still have the habit of using some types of leaves such as jackfruit leaves, moneywort, coriander, Vietnamese coriander... to treat kidney stones.

Early symptoms of kidney stones and treatment

Specialist Doctor Pho Minh Tin, manager and director of the Department of Urology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that kidney stones in the early stages often have few or no symptoms, to detect kidney stones early, usually through the results of a general abdominal ultrasound. The accuracy of detecting kidney stones on abdominal ultrasound is about 90%, the ability to detect stones depends on the experience of the sonographer, the modernity of the ultrasound machine and the size of the stone.

The larger the stone, the easier it is to detect, so some difficult to diagnose or suspicious cases may require additional X-rays and abdominal CT scans for accurate diagnosis.

Currently, kidney stone treatment methods include open surgery to remove stones, endoscopic surgery to remove kidney stones, lithotripsy with a flexible endoscope, standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy with a small tunnel...

For some cases of uncomplicated stones without accompanying infectious complications, percutaneous stone removal is a widely applied method because it is less painful, aesthetically pleasing, and has a short recovery time.

"Patients should not be afraid of going to the doctor or surgery and instead seek out folk remedies that have no scientific basis. If kidney stones persist, it will lead to water retention, and over time the patient's kidney tissue will become thinner, leading to kidney atrophy and eventually the stones will completely destroy kidney function," Dr. Tin shared.

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